Oyster opener



Oct. 6, 1964 Filed March 7, 1965 F. HAGEN ETAL OYSTER OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. 1-7950 HAGEM BY mum? 61 Oct. 6, 1964 Filed March 7, 1963 F. HAGEN ETAL OYSTER OPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I as 6 INVENTORS,

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United States Patent 3,151,352 OYSTER UPENER Fred Hagen, 23141 Schroeder, East Detroit, Mich, and Walter F. Mott, 23142 N. Rosedale Court, St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Filed Mar. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 263,589 1 Claim. (Cl. 17-9) This invention relates to an oyster opener, and more particularly to a machine adapted to rapidly spread apart the two shell halves of an oyster.

Oysters are conventionally opened by hand using a long sharp knife. This manual method is time consuming, on occasion damaging to the contents of the oyster and dangerous to the one using the knife. Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide a machine which will rapidly break apart the shells of an oyster without danger to the user thereof, and which is formed of only a few simple parts so that the machine may be easily cleaned and easily operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide an oyster opening machine having a shaft with a wedge end formed to open apart the two oyster halves in steps to avoid damage thereto and having a power means for manually moving the shaft which power means is axially aligned with the shaft and slidably connected thereto for accurately controlling and feeling the movement of the shaft.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of which the attached drawings form a part.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the oyster opener herein.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the oyster opener, shown in its closed position in solid lines and in its open position in dotted lines and showing, in dotted lines, the position of an oyster relative to the device.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view with an anvil section shown in section view.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the wedge-end of the shaft, per se.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, elevational, cross-sectional view of the rear end of the shaft and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken as if in the direction of arrows 5-6 of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the oyster opener It) includes an elongated base 11 having a forward end to which is integrally connected an anvil in the form of a flattened plate 12. The base is provided with a forward pad or foot 13 and a rear pad or foot 14 having drilled holes 15, through which screws may be inserted for securing the base upon a table or firm support.

A cylindrically shaped journal member 16 having a central bore 17 is integrally connected to the base by legs 18 and journalled through the bore 17 is a slidable shaft 20. The shaft has a forward wedge-end 21 which, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is formed in three integral sections, namely a knife-like leading edge portion 22, an intermediate portion 23, and a rear portion 24.

The leading edge portion is curved in the horizontal plane and has a sharp edge formed by an upper and lower surface, each arranged at about 45 to the horizontal and integrally joined to the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate portions 23 which are arranged at a sharp acute angle relative to the horizontal (see FIG. 4). The

3,151,352 Patented (let. 6, 1964 upper and lower surfaces of rear section or portion 24 are arranged at about a 30 angle to the horizontal. The specific angles are not critical and may be varied somewhat While maintaining the general relationship.

The anvil 12 is provided with a forwardly dished or inwardly curved anvil face portion 25 against which an oyster is arranged and, as shown in FIG. 3, when the shaft has moved its maximum toward the anvil, it is spaced closely to but a short distance away from the dished surface 25.

The rear end of the shaft is enlarged at 26 to form a stop shoulder 27 for abutting against the rear end of the cylindrical journal member 16 for limiting the forward travel of the shaft to the position shown in FIG. 2.

A vertical slot 28 is formed in the enlarged end 26 and extending through that slot is a horizontally arranged pin 29 pivotally fitted within openings 30 in the sides of the enlarged end 26.

The pin is provided with a central, transverse opening 31 whose diameter is substantially equal to the width of the slot 28 and through said opening a manual operating rod 32 is slidably inserted. The upper end of the rod is provided with a hand grasping ball 33. The lower end of the rod fits into an elongated slot 35 formed in the rear end of the base and is pivotally connected therein b means of a horizontally arranged pin 36 about which the rod may be pivoted by grasping the ball 33 and moving it forwardly or rearwardly. The rearward movement of the shaft and rod are stopped when the rod contacts an upper stop forming end 37 of the slot 28 (see dotted lines in FIG. 5

In operation, the rod 32 is moved backwardly into the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2 to retract the shaft wedge 21 away from the anvil dished surface 25. Then an oyster it) is held horizontally with one end against the dished surface 25 and with its crack 41 arranged horizontally. Then, the ball 33 is manually grasped and the rod 32 is pivoted forwardly so that the knife-like edge 22 of the wedge 21 enters into the crack spreading the shells 42 slightly. Further movement of the shaft causes the intermediate portion 23 of the wedge to further spread the shells apart, without damaging the contents of the oyster, until finally the rear portion 24 of the wedge completes the spreading action to the point where the shells are separated and the oyster is then manually removed.

As the rod 32 is pivoted forwardly and rearwardly, it slides endwise relative to the opening 31 in the pin 29 and since the rod is arranged in the same vertical plane as the shaft without any intermediate connections other than the pin, the user can easily feel the resistance to wedging movement of the shaft and thus move the shaft accordingly to avoid cracking or damaging the shell.

- This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following claim. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a strictly limited sense.

I now claim:

An oyster opener comprising an elongated base having a forward end; an upstanding flattened plate connected thereto at its forward end and having its upper end formed as an anvil;

a large massive cylindrical shaped journalmember integrally connected to the base rearwardly of said anvil and alined with it; said journal member having an elongated horizontal bore therethrough aiined with the shaft stopped in its forward movement by the wit said anvil and having a fiat r vertical abutengagement of its stop shoulder with said abutment ment face; face of the journal member.

a cylindrical shaft slidably mounted in said bore and having a knife-like leading forward end portion for 5 References Cited in the file of this patent cooperation With the anvil and an enlarged rear end UNITED STATES PATENTS portion having a forward vertical face forming a stop shoulder for abutting against said rear vertical abut- 247445 Ward SePt- 1881 rnent face of said journal member; said enlarged 2,296,049 Plate Sept. 1942 rear portion of the shaft having a vertical slot; 10 FO GN PATENTS operating means mounted in said slot for moving the shaft horizontally to and from the anvil; 1221858 France 1960 i 

